Sunday, December 28, 2008

Noche Buena & Media Noche

2009 is already fast approaching.. And people will be busy preparing again for the celebration of the New Year. Here in the Philippines, during Christmas eve, we had the much-anticipated Noche Buena – the traditional Christmas Eve feast. Usually, family members dine together around 12 midnight on traditional Noche Buena fare, which includes: queso de bola (ball of cheese), Tsokolate (a hot chocolate drink) and jamon (ham). Some would also open presents at this time.

But ours was quite different. We had lechon, cake, spaghetti, fruit salad, grilled fish and some goodies :) We dined earlier, of course, but opened the gifts at 12 midnight, with my daughter (the little helper) distributing the gifts because Santa (my mom) was quite exhausted.

December 25, Christmas Day, is considered a Family Affair. We stayed overnight at my mom's house on the 24th, together with my siblings and their wives, and on the 25th, we had dinner at my in-laws house but went home afterward.

On December 31, New Year's Eve, Filipino families gather again for the Media Noche or midnight meal – a feast that is also supposed to symbolize hopes for a prosperous New Year. And yeah, we are going to my mom's place again on the 31st and at my in-laws place on January 1st.

In spite of the yearly ban on firecrackers, some people here still see these as the traditional means to greet the New Year. The loud noises and sounds of merrymaking are not only meant to celebrate the coming of the New Year but are also supposed to drive away bad spirits. But boy, oh boy! We are so hating it! I hate the loud noise (my daughter is scared of it!), I hate the smell and to think this would create danger, too! Fireworks are okay, though, because it's nice to see and it's quite harmless, too...

Anyways, this is what usually happens here in our place. I would love to know what takes place during the New Year at your end, too..

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Chloe's Christmas Presentation

As promised, I will post some of Chloe's videos here. Some of her pictures will be published at My Girl.

But bear with me as the videos here were taken via digital camera. I have a clearer (and closer) version on my video cam but decided not to wait for it since it would take a lot of time to transfer.


Oh Holy Night
Soloist: Chloe
* Chloe is at the back and on top of the row


Rocking Around the Christmas Tree
* Chloe with her partner Cole
Shake it, Shake it!


My unica hija; Angel Chloe with her stage mommy, hehehe

Happy Birthday Pretty Umma!


1.What's your first impression on Umma?

Friendly, pretty and at first I thought she’s really
Korean, haha. Because I saw in her blog that Umma meant Mom in Korean (or something like that)

2.After you've known her, did that impression change?

She’s friendlier, hehe… and later found out that she’s pinay like me when I saw this line in one of her comments : ‘trip ko lang’ (“,)

3.What song will you sing to her aside from "Happy Birthday" and why?

I wanna run to you by Whitney Houston (only the title not really the lyrics of the song, hehe). She once said that she sometimes belted out a Whitney Houston son
g to put YL to sleep, hehe. Aside from that, I really ran unto her if I needed help in my layout, hehe..

4.If Umma is a flower, what will she be? Why?
Orchid! Well, orchids are worth to be kept and Umma is worth keeping ;)

5.When you meet Umma in person, what is the first word you might say?

UMMA! I mean, Hey, NANCY!

6.When you look at her picture, what can you say about her personality?

Friendly, Hot momma, sosyal, haha

7.How do you describe Umma as a friend online?

She’s really great! And she’s so thoughtful, too!

8.What do you think of her as a mother?

A doting mom. Definitely loving, sweet and generous ;)

9.What do you think of her posts and why?

Informative, fun and interesting.

10. What is your birthday wish for umma?

Live life to the fullest! Enjoy your day and have fun! And may you achieve your greatest endeavor in life!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Christmas Message

This Christmas season, I would like to send this message to my blogger friends. I wish you and your family be filled with Peace, Love and Happiness.

I would like to send this to the following:

Bogie - my sister in law who introduced blogging to me. Thank you very much for everything!
Kringle - my sister in law and my barkada as well. She's very new to blogging, by the way.
Cecile - my very first visitor when I was very new to blogging and became a good blogger friend ;)
Umma - who made things possible for me especially about my template. Your kindness will never be forgotten
Mummygwen - who's messages would always make me smile. Thank you for the friendship ;)
Amy - a dear friend here in cdo and who has never ever forgotten me...
Soul Anchor - my dear friend who introduced Polyvore to me, hehe. A wonderful person inside & out.

I want to give this to all of my blogger friends listed here but there are so many of you. This is for you also! You can grab this and send this to your friends, too!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

What A Day!

My husband attended their Christmas party last night. I posted in my entry that they were required to wear pink and that he asked me to buy him one. Well, he was hailed as Star of the Night and was given a prize for it. He said I really bought him one unique kind of shirt.

Anyway, after their party, one of his supervisors asked some of them to join him in a karaoke bar. He asked for my permission and I kinda agreed to it. But I told him not to come home very late because we needed to attend Chloe's Christmas presentation for their school the next day. I already dozed off, but ever-the-light sleeper, I heard the car arrived. Oh, he's home, I thought...

But there was silence downstairs for several minutes. I went down and saw him lying on the couch already. I was with one of my worst habits ~ nagging. He asked me to listen to him first. He got injured ~ he sprained his ankle! But instead of pity, I went on ranting... "How about Chloe's presentation?! You want me to do a one-woman-act? Like taking the videos and pictures, driving her to and from the house and everything?" He kept quiet, so I went back to sleep.

After having only a few hours of sleep, I woke up and went to check on him. He was in worst condition. Oh, no! Not at this time. He missed Chloe's Christmas presentation last year because of an untimely work-related travel, and now he's going to miss it again?! But then there's nothing we can do about it but to have him check to a hospital. Good thing that my brother in law lives right next to our house. He drove him to the hospital together with my MIL.

After an x-ray, the orthopedic informed him he was lucky, there were no signs of fracture. Anyway, they applied a half-cast on his sprained ankle and had it wrapped in elastic bandage. He was also advised to use crutches for the meantime. What a day for the star of the night, huh? Tsk2x.. Well, when he got home, I took real pity on him. I decided to take all the responsibility for Chloe and her Christmas event, since he really needs to stay home right now. Good that my father-in-law went with me and helped in taking some pictures and videos of Chloe. The presentation was a success, too, so that settles it then. Chloe's dad got only to watch her perform on a video that I recorded (sigh...I'll just post the video and pics in my next entry).


While my husband was injured, my second older brother texted me that his eight-months-pregnant wife was confined at the hospital. He said that their OB-Gyne wanted to carefully monitor the baby's fetal heart rate. The doctor told him that the rate was slightly lower than the usual 120-160 bpm. I was very alarmed and worried for the safety of my sister-in-law and for the baby as well. Even up to now, I'm thinking about them. I wanted to visit Anna at the hospital but I also have an injured patient at home. But my brother regularly texted me on the updates. Maybe the stork will arrive earlier than expected. I just wish everything will turn out okay.

Chloe is the only 'apo' (grandchild) of my mom, so everyone's really excited to welcome an additional member to the family. Oh dear God, I pray that all will be well and safe. I wish for good health, too! That's all that matters to me now...

Itazura Na Kiss Music

I wrote in my blog before that I went crazy over one Anime series titled Itazura Na Kiss. I've never been an anime lover but everything changed when I've watched that show September of 2008 and even posted an entry about it in my blog.

I also love their soundtrack especially the music in their end credits, Jikan yo Tomare, which was performed by Azu. I really researched the music video of that song and I finally found it! And even though I don't understand Japanese language (I only knew some words or phrases), I still love the song and even tried to learn the lyrics, too, hehehe. I found the music so catchy and I so love the beat.

My favorite couple, Kotoko and Naoki =)

Below is their music video for you to see. Enjoy listening!

Friday, December 19, 2008

When A Couple Argues...

Arguments, misunderstandings, bickerings are all part of a couple's life. We can never escape from that. But what is important is to have an open communication in order to resolve the differences. And everything will go back to normal...After all, there's always sunshine after the rain, right?

Sharing to you a story about a couple who fights. Read and enjoy <*wink*> :


A hubby and wife were traveling by car...

Not even talking after having a fight.

Passing farm of goats, mules and pigs...

Hubby asked sarcastically,

"Relative of Yours"?

The wife replied:

"YUP...


...IN-LAWS"!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Just My Thought

After picking up Chloe at school this afternoon, we went straight to the mall to buy some last minute requirements for their presentation. My husband asked me to buy him a gift, too, because he needed it for exchanging gifts at their Christmas party tomorrow. Aside from that, he asked me to buy him a PINK shirt. He said it's their theme for their party... like, 'Real Men Wears Pink'. Oh, really? And why do I have to buy this now? Ok, all done!

Then I met my high school classmate at the mall. We haven’t seen each other in years. We made chit-chat for awhile and told me she just arrived from Germany. And she told me how thin I looked! She told me to gain some more weight! Oh, heck, I always received that kind of comment. I don't think I need to defend or explain myself but at the back of my mind, how I wanted to tell everyone that "I've Never Been Fat in my life. I Am This Thin!!!" In fact, I weigh a little bit more than in my pre-preggy days, whew!

Well, I just kept that to myself but shared my thoughts with you, huh? I know a lot of people (particularly women) would want to lose weight and would even indulge in any form of exercise, or take some diet pill, just to remove all those excess baggage in their body. As for me? How I want to gain weight...but not so much, of course. I’m just hoping to achieve my Ideal Body weight for my 5 foot 4 inches height.

What I have observed most of the time is that if I sleep very late at night, in the morning people would tell me that I look so thin. But when I’m well-rested at night, people would say that I seem to gain weight. So, I guess I have to blame my late sleeping habits. But I have to console myself because having a thin figure means I get to pigged-out without worrying too much, hehehe…

Greetings!



I went back to my old hobby, doing some Polyvore stuff, where I can create my own set and do some virtual shopping :)

This time, I made a Christmas card that I want to send it to my blogger friends. Well, sending a 'real card', with my signature in it, is the best but I think it's quite impossible for me to do that because I have so many blogger friends scattered around the world. And this is the only and fastest way I could send to you my 'card' ahead of time!

Anyway, this Christmas Card is for all my blogger friends! You can grab it if you like and give it to others, too...

This is also my way of thanking you for your very warm friendship! Merry Christmas!!! <*wink*>

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

A Big Thank You To Umma!

I had a hectic schedule today. In the morning, I accompanied my daughter to the venue of her school’s Christmas Program and watched her rehearse for her special part in it. I had also planned ahead to go out in the afternoon to do some errands and attend to some other matters. ;)

Anyway, by noon time, we ate our lunch at home and then I opened my computer. I checked my blog and noticed something was different. I was led directly to my cbox and was staring at my blogger friends’ praises for my new layout! Whoa-- I just got my New Layout?! Umma just did it! I can’t believe she really did this for me! (Though, it’s funny to think I was the last to know about it, lol!)

Before this, actually, I wasn’t very happy with my template and even wanted my old template back. However, it only had two columns. But I particularly liked the tulip and its green background. My very first template had a green background, too, so you could really say I had a thing for the color green. I found it soothing to the eyes and easier to read. And I wanted my blog to look simple, yet dainty.

Then, my dear blogger friend, Umma, offered her services and told me it would be her Christmas gift to me. I was really touched, but kinda embarrassed and hesitant at the same time. But then she kept on reminding me about her offer. I guess she was really determined to help me. And so, I started to write her an email with my own specifications for the blog that I wanted. But then I realized how meticulous I was that I ended up being hesitant again at sending the email, hehehe.

Anyways, the message was sent eventually and Voila! Now, it feels like I’m wearing a simple but elegant gown! I Soo Love the make-over!!! And this wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for Umma. Thank you, Komapsumnida, Salamat to you, dear beautiful friend! You’re a rare kind! I don’t know how I can ever repay you. But in the meantime, allow me to give you this special note:

Monday, December 15, 2008

Hubby List Award

I've been tagged by the pretty in love ladies, Rose, Demcy and Kikamz, and now it's my turn to post this one ;) Sorry, it took me time to post because I was looking for our good-ol-pic, hehehe..


Can you remember the day you first met your hubby?

Yep, Uhuh

When was that?

We were introduced last week of May. But we were not friends yet. I was busy minding my own business and he was busy minding his own, too

First impression.

Snobbish, shy, fair-skinned and nice-looking fella ;)
Were you friends before he became your bf?
Not really. As I've said, we were introduced by May but that was all.
We got to Really say Hi by August.
He took notice of me and I took notice of him by end of September.
Middle of October, we got to talk a lot.
Early November, he asked for a date ~ twice.
And by our second date, we were officially a couple :)
I posted our story before, click here to read it

What was the sweetest thing he did for you?

Sent me flowers and chocolates on Valentine's Day
Never forgot important events in my life
What are the things about him that you are thankful for?

He adores me
He loves me and Chloe
He provides our needs
He supports my decision
He doesn't have any vices..
well, except his computer and playing his PSP and PS
:)


*Now the rules are simple. 1. Pick your sweetest picture when you were still friends and post it on top of the questions and answers. 2. Another pic now that you are together post it after the questions. 3. Share to how many friends you like. 4. Enjoy doing it c: 5. Let your hubby read it too c:
Now, I'm going to pass this award to my sisters-in-law and bloggers at the same time: Bogie, Anna and Kringle and blogger friends Luv and Ane

Saturday, December 13, 2008

If I Am Rich...

I will buy Moonlight



My pet with Diamond Teeth




My pretty servant always ready



My Glass made only by Original Diamond



If I have time, I will play Golf on the Boat



My Security for 24 Hours



Only Spring Water from the Himalayas to Flush my Toilet



Toilet Paper



My Swimming Pool can only fill in with Expensive Perfume



Only a Professional can wash my Gold Plated Car



My Laptop with Diamond Edging and has Intel Pentium IX with RAM 30 Gigabite



My Traveling Car



My Holiday House




OK, ENOUGH OF DREAMING!!!


IT'S BETTER I GET BACK TO MY WORK !



You as well………………

Start Your Own Web Hosting!

I've been curious about having my own domain for quite sometime now after I found out that my sister-in-law actually has one already. Luckily for me, I had the opportunity to visit this site called webhostingrevenue.com.

At WebhostingRevenue, not only are you offered the chance to have your own fully-featured web domain at just the right price, but even much more.

For web hosting, they offer two types of packages: The Regular Plan and the Super Plan. In both packages, you'll get Unlimited Disk Space and Bandwidth, Ruby on Rails, Knowledgeable 24/7 Technical Support, Free and Instant Setup. What's different and great about the Super Plan is that you can host an unlimited number of websites! Other included key features in both plans are the Control Panel (Cpanel), Web Stats, Unlimited MySQL Databases, Over 50 Pre-Installed Scripts. Both also have Anti-Virus Scanning for E-mail, Unlimited Email Accounts, Forwarders and Auto-Responders, plus a whole lot of other advanced features. It was interesting to note that they use only the latest technology in servers and softwares and even offer 30-Day Money Back Guarantee. Pricing is as low as P6.95 per month for the Regular and P9.95 per month for the Super Plan.

For those who prefer reseller hosting, WebhostingRevenue also offers it in three (3) packages: Ultimate 15, Ultimate 30 and Ultimate 60. All have everything you need to become your own webhost! Monthly Pricing is as low as $39.95, $49.95 and $59.95 respectively.

And not only that, you'll get Super Bonuses on any of their web hosting package. These are actually 11 Books and CD's with real value ($67.00 - $147.00 each!) which contain materials on how to improve your online business and increase sales.

I found that webhostingrevenue's hosting offers are truly different from all others since reliability and service are their top priority and they provide the best services for their web hosting clients at a very fair and reasonable price. And if you are currently hosted by another web host, they'll move your content at no charge!

This Christmas Season, webhostingrevenue.com offers a Christmas Special, which lets you save 20% off your hosting order. You just have to enter the promo code at their website and you'll instantly get the discount! But you'll have to hurry because this offer is only up to December 25, 2008 at 11:59:59 PM!

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Thursday, December 11, 2008

Meet Ricky's Twins



I had been wondering where Ricky Martin was nowadays. I used to have a huge crush on him during his Menudo days and even so when he went solo (made my jaw drop with his Shake your Bonbon and Livin' La Vida Loca videos).

But after that, I didn't hear any news about him for a long while. In the small instances when he's being talked about, his sexuality was one of the issues.. Hmmm...

Well, just today, I came across something from People.com which caught my attention, and here's what it said:

Meet Matteo and Valentino Martin!

Born via surrogate in early August, Ricky Martin's 4-month-old twin boys make their debut in this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

A joyful Martin, 36, spoke candidly with PEOPLE at home in Puerto Rico about his desire to be a parent, the decision to seek the help of a surrogate and juggling caring for twins – he has no nanny!

Describe this time in your life

I'm so happy! Everything they do, from smiling to crying, feels like a blessing. Being a father feels amazing. This has been the most spiritual moment in my life.

How hands-on are you as a father?

I don't have a nanny. I'm doing this on my own because I don't want to miss a moment. I have a personal assistant who helps me, someone who takes care of me while I'm taking care of them, but I'm the one who changes the diapers, the one that feeds them, the one that bathes them, the one that puts them to sleep. For any parent, the first couple of months tend to get a little bit intense.

Why did you choose to become a parent via surrogate?

Adoption was one option, but it's complicated and can take a long time. Surrogacy was an intriguing and faster option. I thought, 'I'm going to jump into this with no fear.'

Tell us about Valetino's and Matteo's personalities

Valentino loves to sleep. I call him 'Mr. Peace and Love' because he's so chill and serene. Matteo is more alert and active. He was up at 3 a.m. the other night and just hanging!

What is your philosophy on raising your sons?

I love to read books to my sons and tell them stories. I play music for them so they develop their own personalities. I want to give them information and raise them with honesty and love, and give them self-esteem and a lot of acceptance.

Source: People.com

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Video Games

My husband loves Video Games and he even owned PSP and Playstation. He will be happy to know about ReviewKings.com because they present with a cool new service devoted to bringing the best critiques for Video Games. Their crack team of researchers will also bring up to date, quality data regarding the latest trends in Video Games. Reviewkings.com also presents a service aimed at helping a quick and efficient manner about the products and services we are looking for. Everything from how to write a business plan to losing weight fast to selecting the right movie, they have it all. So, visit them now!

Monday, December 8, 2008

The Fun Google Tag

I've been tagged by the very pretty mom, Mummygwen and pretty girl, Dona. I really had fun answering this! In fact, I had so many answers but I ended up deleting them. Must limit it to 1 answer only. Thus explains the delay of this post ;)

"The rules are simple. Use Google Image to search the answers to the questions below. Then you must choose a picture in the first page of the results, and post it as your answer. After that tagged 7 people."

1. The age of my next birthday

(it has my exact age! do count it, hehe)

2. A place I'd like to travel to


3. A favourite place


4. A favourite thing


5. A favourite food


6. A favourite colour


7. The city I live in.


8. The city I was born in


9. A nickname I had


10. College Major (s)
AND

11. Name of first (and only) lover


12. A bad habit


13. A hobby


14. Current wish list (max. 3 items)






Now, I'm gonna tag the following lovely ladies :)

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Take A Snap!

I've enjoyed blogging for how many months now. Not only was I able to write anything that comes out in my mind but I was able to meet wonderful online friends, too. And I love reading their blogs, too. Aside from that, I was able to influence my other friends in blogging and now, they have enjoyed it as well.



Well, since I am a stay at home mom and also a blogger, why not utilize my time and join some sites where I could get paid by some blog advertising company? It would be a great opportunity for me to help them make a buzz on their product and earn a few dollars at the same time. My husband has a good job but our economy isn't doing well, so, it won't hurt if I'll contribute a little, right? Recently, I've heard about Snapbomb and I signed up with them. They are giving bloggers the opportunity to write and get paid while doing it. Now, I'm inviting everyone to join me here, too. Just click on this link http://www.snapbomb.com/bloggers.html?acp=7551 and let's spread the good news!